What the Chicago Cubs Taught Me About Sales

Baseball season is here.
As many of you know I am a huge Brewers and baseball fan.
Like all good Brewers fans, I can't stand the Cubs.
I don't understand why everyone loves them since they lose all the time.
Wriggly Field is a dump, although it is cool that it is still in a neighborhood.
Mostly I can't stand their obnoxious fans when they come to Miller Park.

Be that as it may, the Cubs fans have taught me a lesson about sales.
I used to sell tickets on game day at the Brewers.
You could always tell a local person versus a person from Chicago.
The local person would come to the window and say "give me the cheapest seat you have."
The Chicago person would come to the window and say "give me the most expensive seat you have."
I started asking why they said that. The explanation is simple. The most expensive seat at Miller Park was cheaper than most decent seats at Wriggly Field.
It was good value for money in their opinion.

This got me thinking that the way a salesperson values money will have an influence on the way they sell. If you are always looking for the "cheap ticket," you'll probably be more likely to accept a prospect telling you they have to "shop around" or "give me the best price." If you are a person that looks for value over price, you're probably more likely to pay a higher price for things you want and therefore will be more comfortable asking prospect for more money or be better at selling on value rather than price.

It didn't take me long to find out that I was right.
Don't take my word for it.
The data comes from Dave Kurlan and Objective Management Group, the original and market leader of sales assessments:

Thanks Cubs fans. I guess you're not so bad after all...
Yes. I know I have a Brewers logo at the top of a posting about the Cubs.
As a fan of the Brewers i just can't bring myself to have a Cubs logo on my blog!

Everet
A Heck of A Nice Guy

Now the Joke:
The Chicago Cubs!

Here are 20 major events that have occurred since the Chicago Cubs last won a World Series championship:
1. Radio was invented; Cubs fans got to hear their team lose.
2. TV was invented; Cubs fans got to see their team lose.
3. Baseball added 14 teams; Cubs fans get to see and hear their team lose to more clubs.
4. George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th,70th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays.
5. Haley's comet passed Earth...twice.
6. Harry Caray was born...and died. Incredible, but true.
7. The NBA, NHL and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each league.
8. Man landed on the moon, as have several home runs given up by Cubs pitchers.
9. Seventeen US presidents were elected.
10. There were 11 amendments added to the Constitution.
11. Prohibition was created and repealed.
12. The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, was discovered and became the subject of major motion pictures, the latter giving Cubs fans hope that something that finishes on the bottom can come out on top.
13. Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League.
14. Flag poles were erected on Wrigley Field roof to hold all of the team's future World Series pennants. Those flag poles have since rusted and been taken down.
15. A combination of 42 summer and Winter Olympics have been held.
16. Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown; several thanked Cubs pitchers.
17. Bell-bottoms came in style, went out of style and came back in.
18. The Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and the Florida Marlins have all won the World Series.
19. The Cubs played 14,153 regular-season games; they lost the majority of them.
20. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma and New Mexico were added to the Union.
GO CUBS! MAYBE NEXT YEAR (but lets hope not!)